Is It Time to Add an In-Bay Automatic ?
Find out if this endeavor is right for your location

By Randy Travis

Adding an in-bay automatic carwash to an already existing self-serve bay is a simple, value-added opportunity. Providing added profits and convenience for your customers, an in-bay automatic can be installed without any extra clean-up or contamination. You can get a higher revenue per square foot of property by broadening your market and expanding your services, and the added advantage of washes with different benefits and options will impress your customers as well.

One of the first steps is to contact carwash equipment suppliers to find out basic information. When adding an in bay, it is imperative to inquire about site layouts, volume and revenue projections, construction plans, maintenance and service programs and marketing ideas. Equipment suppliers can help with the design and building of a unit tailor-made for maximized usability and profits.

The standard size of an automatic bay is 16 x 26 feet. The space required for a wash will depend on what kind of equipment you want to buy. Minimum construction is needed for this equipment, and it usually takes only three to four days to install. If you are starting from scratch, it is still a relatively short installation process. You should allow one month to get everything up and running. This installation should not get in the way of the rest of your business and should be bringing in more revenue in no time.

The best place to add onto at an existing facility is near the equipment room. This will speed up service and avoid traffic tie ups. It will also eliminate a lot of downtime since cleaning substances will get to the wash more quickly because they do not have far to travel. People driving through obviously want convenience and speed and do not want to be tied up in traffic.

Demographics for success

Drive-by traffic is everything when shopping for a location or adding on to a current location. Before adding on, it is extremely important to contact the local traffic authorities or chamber of commerce to obtain the traffic counts on the roads near your location. Before building, you must also check on the size of the town and see if there are any other washes. It is possible to overbuild, so population figures are extremely important. Equipment manufacturers can help with the plan and discuss wash capacity and the number of cars the wash can treat in a day. The following are some suggestions for selecting a site:

• Maximizing business by location and traffic is key. A location near a fast food establishment or retail store is excellent for drawing in cars to your wash.
• A speed limit zone of 35 to 45 mph is preferred over a 55 to 65 mph zone simply because cars are driving more slowly and are able to observe the wash.
• A corner lot is also advised because cars can have access from two sides and can easily enter and exit.
• A stop sign or red light nearby is also a plus.
• A rule of thumb is 2,000 cars per bay per day passing by because traffic is everything.

In any town with a desirable traffic count, you should keep at least two self-serves open when adding an automatic. In rural areas, self-serve carwashes are often used to clean tractors, large vehicles and other maintenance vehicles. In both rural and urban areas, automatics are used by business men and women, senior citizens, mothers with children and others who simply do not have the time to get out of their cars. The income from an automatic can often triple that of a self-serve, but it is nice to maintain both options for all customers.

Another decision to make is whether or not to hire an attendant. Many self-serve operators swear by having attendants to regulate their in-bays. Furthermore, adding an in-bay can be a deciding factor when deciding whether or not the location can comfortably afford a daily attendant. Attendants are often paid minimum wage plus tips.

While an attendant might be nice to have, in this day and age, many carwash designers offer standard computerized systems. A computerized system can tell the operator how to repair the equipment using a touch screen module identifying and displaying what needs to be fixed. Some systems also serve as safety devices to shut down the equipment to eliminate damage to a vehicle and the equipment in the event of a problem.

The proprietary computer software offers absentee owners and operators the added assurance that the system is working at peak efficiency. A remote contact system can be connected directly to home computers, pagers and accounting programs and can be instantly alerted to any problems on site. If an operator still does not understand the problem, the equipment distributor should do the appropriate research and point him in the direction of a local repairman who can help.

When seeking a distributor, make sure the company trains on site if they do the installation. Also, if given the chance, take advantage of a trip to the distributor's factory to learn how they repair their machines. This is a good way to get to know your carwash.

Return on investment

A wash in the right location can bring in a national average of $1,100 to $1,400 per bay of self-serve washes, allowing three to four minutes per cycle, totaling 12 minutes. The automatic bay brings in a national average of $5,000 to $7,000 a month, allowing three minutes total for wash completion.

Keep your profits in mind when seeking a system to purchase and install. Make sure the carwash has a simple design for serviceability, tough parts for years of service and that it is full of common sense engineering for the greatest return on your investment. When adding onto your existing self-serve bay, everyone will benefit and you will be happy you did.

Randy Travis is the President of Pro Equipment Company in Benton, Ky.

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